Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession
by Lies-Taste-Sweeter-Than-Truth
Summary: Why do we choose to write about them? The least likely couple in a fictional world... what's the attraction? Review!
1. Introduction

As I was taking a shower yesterday morning, it struck me that what I was interested in was not actual Dramione stories, (though I am a devoted fan) rather the reason behind so many peoples' love of the pairing

**Dramione: The Reason Behind The Obsession**

**Introduction**

**As I was taking a shower yesterday morning, it struck me that what I was interested in was not actual Dramione stories, (though I am a devoted fan) rather the reason behind so many peoples' love of the pairing. And so, I decided I wanted to make a study of it. It give me an excuse to read more Dramione fics, and a purpose to my addiction. Here it is. This is only an introduction, as I wanted to see whether or not I would get into it or not., but hopefully (due to the numerous theories and ideas banging around in my head) I'll continue. Anyway, enough procrastination, and on with it. Happy reading!**

They are one of the most unlikely couple of characters in the Harry Potter series to ever be romantically involved, and yet there are entire websites devoted to them. We have taken two characters from a fictional story and glued them together, in what is a undoubtedly unlikely situation.

The idea of Dramione is very simple. Rather than the run-of-the-mill 'birds of a feather flock together,' the couple represent the clash of good and evil, and in some fics, authors have played on this and written them as the equivalent of ambassadors for their respective sides.

In the more angsty stories, Draco is an established Death Eater, and he is a broken man, with no hope left and very little or nothing to live for. Enter Hermione. She represents everything Gryffindor. She is loyal to both people and her beliefs, and no matter what happens, she is surrounded by friends and family that love her.

Draco has none of this.

He is trapped in a world that (in my head) he no longer wants to be a part of, and so sees Hermione as everything he wants, which in sometimes makes him lust for her, sometimes makes him bitter but usually (inevitably) leads to the two falling for each other.

Though perhaps this is society today. Perhaps we are too shocked by the state of the world that we take comfort in a situation that is so unlikely that it becomes plausible. With fiction, we can play God. For maybe a couple of hours a week, one can immerse oneself in a world that is by no means perfect, but completely controllable. And so we come to it.

Why is it, that out of all the possibilities to choose from, we pick Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger? Given that, in all seven books, they have so few encounters, and in the unlikely scenario that they do meet, Draco is made out to be a spoilt and prejudice prat and gets progressively more cowardly, what is the point in writing about them?

Next time: I try and answer my own questions, but inevitably ask more of the unanswerable kind.

**A/N: Inspired by attica's "Logic will break your heart", and the fantastic descriptions of Hermione's interpretation of Draco Malfoy.**


	2. Part One

Dramione: The Reason Behind The Obsession

**Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession**

**Part One: The Slytherin Prince Vs. The Gryffindor Know-It-All**

I think that part of the reason behind our love of Dramione is the mystery. Because of the total obscurity, and the fact that Rowling quite obviously did not plan the two on ever even talking to each other in a civil manner, it is possible for authors to write about the two in any context they can dream up.

The lack of interaction between them enables us to have complete freedom of pen, though with the structure of a fantastic world already created for them to exist in. Because of this, originality is the key.

It is not enough to say "Hermione and Malfoy fell in love, they had babies and Harry won the war. The end." It simply wouldn't satisfy what is an extremely expectant audience. While it _is_ a blessing to have such liberty, it also means that an author attempting to write a fic must have the skills to entice readers, but also have at least some style, so the more intelligent reviewer will not give up after the first wrongly-placed speech mark.

Last time, I implied that society is the reason for the fandom, though maybe I am wrong. Possibly it is not the _world_ that lacks compassion, (though that is undeniably true) but that the very best writers are having trouble finding love on a much more personal level. The crème-de-la-crème of Dramione fiction could be written by authors leading double lives, escaping to the world of fanfiction when their stifling relationship gets too much for them, or when they need a break from a hectic schedule…and so they write.

The pure exaggeration of emotion between Hermione and Draco fascinates all of us, but it is something reserved only for them. I have never felt this for any man, and the raging ferocity of the chemistry that flies between our favourite couple is something I keep for daydreams.

I could be wrong of course. There maybe hordes of people out there who have experienced the Dramione relationship, a whirlwind romance that goes against all the odds, ending in a blissful fairytale, Voldemort defeated and Hermione and Draco together; forever.

However, for me, it is definitely a means to an end. When I feel down, I read about them and instantly feel happier. It is as though Dramione brings us a kind of bounce in our step that would not be there otherwise. There are presumably other ways of getting this 'bounce,' but Dramione is an obsession; a devotion; a thirst that cannot be quenched.

What interests me is how Draco seems to always welcome the disruption that is Hermione Granger. When she barrels, seeps, claws her way into, or one day just appears in, his life, he is, most of the time, at a point in his existence when our favourite bushy-haired Gryffindor is exactly what he needs. I cannot for a minute imagine being a Death Eater, or having a father who is so determined to see his son succeed, or becoming Voldemort's latest protégée, or even being as insanely good-looking as I envisage him to be; but I can imagine the kind of influence Hermione would have on him.

As I mentioned last time, she is everything Draco is not. Happy, loved, purposeful and utterly loyal to the Light, it is inevitable that she would provoke some sort of reaction from him, even if only for him to call her a Mudblood one last time. Of course, the easiest way to write a Dramione fic is to put them in a situation where there is no feasible way for them to avoid each other, (crowning them Head Boy and Girl is a popular one) so they are effectively forced to get along. In Muggle terms, it would be like putting them in the Big Brother house.

So, Hermione and Draco are spending time together. One of my pet hates is when Draco wakes up on an ordinary day and suddenly finds himself in love with Hermione. In my head, there has to be context, reason, and preferably with a bit of protestation from Draco. If you've been raised to hate a certain type of person because of their heritage, it is not terribly likely that the heir to what is, to all intents and purposes, the pureblood royal family, to simply fall in love with a Muggle-born with no objections.

But if he does continue to hate her, it is almost predestined that they will fall for each other, but what writes the story is the journey to this unavoidable finish. At times, she provides what Draco has never had- someone who cares for him, and not for something that he has or is. This generally occurs when the two have shared some unforgettable and bonding encounter that leads Draco (usually) to think the unthinkable; that Hermione is human after all.

Next time: The effect the Dramione relationship has on those that matter most to Hermione and Draco.

**A/N: Inspired by the wonderful attica's "Logic will break your heart", and the book that Hermione writes about Draco Malfoy.**


	3. Part Two

Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession

**Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession**

**Part Two: Repercussions**

After in the initiation of the relationship, the couple's main obstacle is definitely the reactions of their friends and family. Hermione faces opposition of the worst kind – she is forced to fight against her best friends and her fellow Light supporters. As Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore so rightly once said, **"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." **However, from what Rowling has written about Hermione, I would assume that in the likely event that Harry, Ron, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny etc were against her and Draco, she would only take it upon herself to fight harder to make it work.

Another scenario may be that she knows her friends would rather kill her (rather drastic, I think, but vaguely plausible) than see her involved with Mr Malfoy Junior, so she would be pressured into making a decision that nobody should ever have to make. Her friends, her beliefs and her family… or the love of her life. Though the books were not written from Hermione's point-of-view, we know enough about her to make a prediction. Though love is a strong emotion, she is a Gryffindor, and will undoubtedly stick with those who have stuck by her.

One can only imagine the inner turmoil she would face at having to choose between the two sides of her life… I feel it would be quite like splitting yourself in two.

We know that, up to a point, Draco very much agrees with his heritage – that Hermione, being a Muggle-born, is disgusting, untouchable, dirty blooded and not to be classed as human – though when the fic is from Draco's perspective, we witness the battles he stages with himself against falling for Hermione. Most of the time, they both see themselves in the worse situation, (in my opinion, humble as it may be, not a very Hermione-like attitude) as Draco faces a force that could kill him as easily as snapping a twig, and Hermione is poised to loose the respect and support of her fellow Order Members, (or classmates, if the fic in question is based at Hogwarts) and, more importantly, her two best friends.

As a Slytherin, Draco would see this as ridiculous, and the attitudes of the two rival houses would clash: Slytherin, look after number one; and Gryffindor, love thy neighbour as thyself etc. The better fics do not have a perfect run, and the couple must come to blows about something and overcome it for it to be seamless relationship in my eyes.

Post-Deathly Hallows AU fics address a much matured version of the Draco Malfoy we knew and hated. Some show an estranged Hermione or Draco, maybe living in the Muggle world, fighting a battle of their own, or nursing an age-old wound, but nearly every time on their own, with no-one to turn to in their 'hour of need.' Indeed, this is really quite irrelevant to this section's title, ("repercussions") but I rather think that this in itself makes it completely significant, as it is sometimes the fact that they have no-one that drives them together, and not that those that they have being too close to them driving them apart.

If the ever-prominent friends give the relationship a taboo, it gains a sense of foreboding, which adds to the excitement, especially if the liaison is being kept a secret. This then supplies authors with the extra 'kick' they need to write a truly wonderful story, and move it along at points of real low. Those who care about Hermione would automatically condemn the involvement, but as I indicated above, this merely adds to the general exhilaration of a fic, as Dramione fiction is all about the thrill of the chase.

I will return to this issue in later chapters, but I believe it deserves a mention here. Unrequited love results in low self-esteem, anxiety, and rapid mood-swings between depression and euphoria. These 'symptoms' would entail a dejected outlook on all other aspects of the admirer's life, with different consequences for either half of the couple. Hermione's work would become sloppier; her friends would be alarmed if she spent all her time pining over a certain blond ferret; any romantic feelings between her and Ron would dissolve into nothingness; and, in her opinion, her life would loose purpose.

Draco, on the other hand, would stand to loose much, much more than a few 'Outstandings' in his OWLs or NEWTs. The Dark side (apologies for the slightly Star Wars-esque vocabulary, I don't know how else to phrase it…?) would feel the backlash, as his task (during HBP) would take a back-seat, as he just wouldn't be so focused; Pansy - and any other excuses for friends that he has – would gradually slip away as his attention became diverted; and last, and probably least, if we're honest, his title (the 'Slytherin Prince') would almost certainly pass along to the next rich, arrogant, conceited Death-Eater-expected.

I'm positive that any consequences of the Dramione relationship would usually be surplus to the original intention, (excluding any fics centred around Draco's betrayal) but nevertheless, they are particularly essential to plot, as the books have led us to believe that apart from school work, Hermione does not really exist for anything except her friends; and all Draco is required to do with his life is become yet another mindless supporter of Lord Voldemort, marry a pureblood and continue the Malfoy bloodline; and clearly any affiliation between the two would make most of these aims completely redundant.

I think all Hermione would proceed to do would be to think about the effects of her actions in relation to everyone else, and Draco's own behaviour would completely depend on what kind of character he is in the fic under consideration. Sometimes he would regret it because it may put Hermione in danger, or if it puts himself in danger, or if he is loyal to the Dark Lord, or if he is still too self-centred to think about anybody apart from himself, he would do nothing at all. Then again, something is bound to happen as a result the romance, which, of course, is really the whole point of writing about them at all.

Next time: I consider the physical attraction between the two in all its glory. (Be warned, rating may go up!)

**A/N: Words in bold taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Inspired by the wonderful attica's "Logic will break your heart", and the book that Hermione writes about Draco Malfoy.**


	4. Part Three

Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession

**Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession**

**Part Three: Desiring the Undesirable**

When it comes down to it, love is just a chemical reaction. Nobody wants to think of it like that, and for the romantic in all of us, it is far more satisfying to believe that it is a thing of cosmic invention; that it takes over the senses and rules you, mind, body and soul.

However, this section is not about love. It is about the most basic of all the things that makes us human, and something that everyone longs for, even if on a subconscious level.

Sex.

The Dramione relationship, as I have said before many times, represents everything that is different.

Draco Malfoy is to Hermione Granger what black is to white.Yin and Yang. Two sides of the coin. But – clichéd as it may be – opposites, it has to be said, attract.

Over the years, Draco has built himself a reputation as the Slytherin Prince, able to bed any girl he chooses, so would he not see the Gryffindor book-worm as the conquest of all conquests? The seduction of a prudish enemy would surely take some time, enabling authors to write longer, more involved fics about Draco's various schemes to get into Hermione's pants. Seduction may ultimately lead to feelings of some kind, but that is not what I am talking about here. I speak of caveman instinct, a craving impossible to both control and satisfy.

On the flip side, and though it is not a popular choice, it might be entirely Hermione's choice to initiate the (physical) relationship. If Hermione is tired of her 'Mary Sue' persona, and wants to 'break the mold,' so to speak, what better way to do than to jump into bed (or broom-closet) with Harry's arch nemesis? A little dramatic, definitely, but what is fanfiction if not histrionic?

- (Anyone who was like I was until yesterday, and doesn't know what a 'Mary Sue' is, definition at this link. /define.php?termmary sue)

For Draco, who has spent his entire life sneering at the Golden Trio, he would have the same view. Surely if he wanted to grab his mentors' attention; or switch sides and make an exit worthy of a Malfoy; or even just execute a simple act of rebellion; having sex with Hermione would be the perfect solution?

In both these (admittedly, quite similar) situations, in the beginning both parties see the action as a way of getting what they want, (not at all Hermione) and view the other person involved as a tool. An extremely Slytherin approach, though even Hermione, friend of the Chosen One and devout Gryffindor, may be pushed to do such a thing in times of great need.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and war is undeniably desperate.

The Marriage Law provides the ideal circumstances for a 'smut' fic, because, let's face it, if a group of women were in a line and a were man told to choose one to marry, he would choose the most attractive.

It's not nice, it's not considerate, and it sure must suck being ugly in that kind of story, but it's the truth.

Interestingly enough, J.K.Rowling never gave us further description of Hermione after the brief few words in Book No. 1, depicting her as bushy-haired and buck-toothed, but it is indisputable that as she grew older, she presumably matured physically as well.

During the run up to the Yule Ball, (and at the ball itself) Ron and Harry give the impression of being surprised to discover that Hermione is, in fact, a girl. Rowling dresses her up and actually describes her as 'pretty,' though besides this, there is very little reference to her appearance.

Despite this, I find it very hard to believe that she has gone from the original Hermione (bookish, square, and almost pedant?) to quite a Mary Sue (well-endowed, skinny legs, Pansy-like). In my opinion, doing this to her insults everything that Rowling wrote, since she clearly intended her to be the opposite of all these things.

To return to my 'Big Brother' analogy, some view it as inevitable. When people are locked in a house (or a common room) together for hours at a time, sex happens. Not true. This makes me hate the Head Girl and Boy challenge yet more.

It may be nice to think that if you put two people in the same place and leave them there for long enough they will fall in love, but, unfortunately, reality is far crueller. Circumstances such as these would only fuel the fire of hatred between the two, as all they would do is pick up on each others' irritating quirks and deem them as maddening rather than endearing.

Needless to say, the same goes for sex. Hermione will not suddenly begin to see Draco as gorgeous, and vice versa. Working out the patrol rota for the prefects will not result in the two straddling each other and consequently undertaking a passionate (and oh-so-secret) relationship, full of alluring outfits and mischievous rendezvous'.

Sorry, but no.

There is a darker side to sex.

Death Eaters are men living with (mostly) men and with men's needs. Horrible to think about, but true. Rape is something I will come back to.

However, sometimes sex becomes an act of hostility. A kidnapped Hermione would not fall over when pushed and comply with the enemy's wishes. Hermione Granger is headstrong, determined, and resolute, who, when it comes to Voldemort, allows no room for compromise.

So, when taken prisoner, how is she to demonstrate her loathing to her jailor other than to have meaningless, animalistic and completely impersonal sex? It can, at times, be an act of aggression, used merely to emphasise the chasm of cold between them. Ironic, when there is no way to get closer to a person.

After Hogwarts, in fics that comply with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, (bar the epilogue) Draco Malfoy may be frantically seeking redemption, and he might see falling for Hermione (or just getting inside her pants) as his doorway to a guilt-free conscience.

During Hogwarts, 'mistaken identity' is ridiculously popular. As if Hermione could think she was screwing Ron, when actually the guy who she was 'riding' was Draco Malfoy. Reasonably entertaining to read, but outrageous.

Not so outrageous is date rape. It would be completely like Draco to slip Hermione a little something if he wanted her, and could either not be bothered, or knew he had no hope in seducing her. A drunken 'fumble' is nice for a one-shot, but leaves very little room for expansion.

In my head, the only feasible reason I can see for Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger having sex is to give them a starting point from which they can build a real relationship or solidifying an already existing one. Forgive me, I'm a romantic.

**A/N: Inspired by the wonderful attica's "Logic will break your heart", and the book that Hermione writes about Draco Malfoy. **

**Sorry it's so late! I've started another fic, 'Clair de Lune: A Love Story' which I have developed a sudden passion for, but I will carry on with this, as I have great plans for it. I won't promise, because I don't want to let anyone down, but I will try as hard as I can to update at least once a week. It will probably be a Monday or a Tuesday, as I generally pencil down some notes during the week. Writing it all up at the weekend, and spell-checking and uploading it in the next few days sounds logical, so I'll aim for that.**

**Don't forget to review, and check out my new story!**


	5. Part Four

**Dramione: The Truth Behind The Obsession**

**Part Four: The Golden Years**

Of course there will always be people and things that prevent the Dramione relationship from happening, but even more so at Hogwarts. They are, to all intents and purposes, Yin and Yang, and, as much as they would probably deny it, a huge part of each others' lives - as they represent everything that Harry, Ron and Hermione are fighting.

He is proud, conceited, prejudice and a Slytherin. He is unnecessarily horrible to everyone that does not meet his extremely high standards – purely because they aren't like him. This is the kind of person they stand against. Nobody wants a world with evil in it, and yet _without dark there can be no light_. What Rowling fails to mention is that after the annihilation of every Death Eater, Voldemort and any other vile creature working for him and his cause, there will be nothing left to fight. Unfortunately, this is true of absolutely everything. If there were no terrorists, we would have no-one to wage war with, and end up turning on one another.

But Draco and Hermione are not conflicting countries. They are two people, and despite how the books are written, they are actually extremely reliable. I always interpret Hermione as someone who would run almost entirely on routine, and so Draco would play an enormous part of that monotonous schedule, even if his part is to insult her until she cries or curse her so her teeth grow to an unspecified size.

Therefore, when he (preferably not suddenly) stops being so hideously nasty to her, she is thrown into turmoil. She over-analyses everything from her dinner to the reasons behind Voldemort's attempted world domination, so of course this would require a mountain's worth of thought-time; which is mostly what the stories are based on.

The build up, the declaration and the consequential fallout. Never the 'happily-ever-after'.

In my opinion, fics based at Hogwarts are the best, because that is where there is opportunity for most damage to be done. Nobody knows what Draco and Hermione would be doing ten years after their education, so writers begin to get less and less plausible in a last ditch attempt to be 'original'. Of course the plot needs to be original, but some are bordering ridiculous.

Rowling has made it very clear throughout the books how she thought Draco and Hermione should behave towards each other, so it is our job to put in writing the transition from mutual abhorrence to convincing attraction, and then perhaps even onto believable passion.

_This_ is the real challenge.

How does one even _begin_ to reverse seven books worth of loathing and near constant odium that the two have shared since their very first train ride to Hogwarts? Some might call it impossible, but where's the fun in that? As clichéd as it is - and the number of times I have said it doesn't affect its validity - there is an extraordinarily thin line between love and hate, and so it is surprisingly straightforward to use Rowling's work as the base for a credible relationship.

Of course the main reason behind the success of Hogwarts fics is because there are so many people around to witness their respective falls from grace.

If they were both living alone with very few friends, where would the story be? It makes terrific fluff to write about their slow progression to the altar, but that is not a love story. A love story begins and ends with heartbreak. Not necessarily immediately obvious, but heartbreak nonetheless.

Heartbreak is an extremely delicate thing to write about, especially if you have never experienced it yourself. Not to beat about the bush, I've had my heart broken many times over by the same man, but even now I couldn't even begin to describe the acute pain experienced, so I shall borrow the words of another.

"**A broken heart, when put under a microscope and observed for everything it could possibly be, can be simplified down to one thing. What once was, and what always has been; history repeating itself, if only for just one more time. It's happened before and it's bound to happen again. Maybe to that same person, maybe to a friend. Never in the same way; because every heart is unique in the way it's broken. The one factor, the one similarity between the millions of broken hearts lies not in how it's broken, but in how it's mended. It's a process that happens on its own, in its own time. It's not a feeling I'd recommend, but the same truth goes for a broken heart as goes for a sunken ship. Once the vessel has resurfaced, all damages set aside; it has the possibility to float once more. A heart that has loved shall love again.* "**

Consider for a moment that you are a student at Hogwarts. You have studied both Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger from afar for some time, and now, all of a sudden, they are together.

What does one think? Yin and Yang are a couple. To simplify, it would be like… Prince Charles and Katie Price getting married. Absurd. Ludicrous. Impossible.

In fact, so impossible that it _becomes_ possible.

But what _would_ the neighbours think? The entire student body would scorn them, condemn the relationship from the beginning, though as I mentioned in "Repercussions", surely this would only fuel Hermione's fire as she strives to 'break the mold'? Would she not want to escape the appearance of perfection that she has spent so long building up?

I'm repeating myself. What I'm actually trying to say is that Hogwarts is the perfect place to stage a mutiny. Who wouldn't find out about something that happened there? Nobody that deserves to know anything, clearly.

Next time: "Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."

**A/N: It's been far too long, I know, but I've been revising for exams (groan), so this kind of took a back seat. Also, I finished "Clair de Lune: A Love Story". I'm actually quite proud of myself, and I like the way it's turned out. This is back on now, and I've got a few ideas for my next actual **_**fiction**_** fic as well… so watch this space!**

***- Okay, I know I got this from a fic somewhere, and I really hate the idea of not giving credit where credit's due, so if anyone knows who wrote this or where it's from, please tell me!**

**Don't forget to review!**


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